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Posted

Years ago I figured out what cards cost and added the proper amount to my labor rate. Very easy. I have a friend who owns a shop and did the cash discount or pay a fee on the credit card. His first month he had three bounced checks. I asked him how did that work out for you ? LOL    Customers just want the bottom line. All the extra fees agravate me, IE: $10 fuel charge to deliver oil. 

 

  • Like 1
Posted

Joe. I thought the exact same way, our credit card processing fees were over 45000 a year! We charge and now we are getting more checks and cash, but I am able to not charge the fees at my discretion! I hate to say but people are getting educated on paying the fee.  It's hard, I did a cylinder head on a Jeep last week the bill was over 4000, the fees would have been over 120.00, customer was told and they wrote a check, it's getting harder to hide and eat those costs. 

  • Like 1
Posted

Joe, In our area the dealers are now charging by the 1/2 hour and they are also charging the fees as well! most dealers around here are 180 dollars and hour!

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  • 3 months later...
Posted

We have been charging for the last 3 to 4 months, but I do have the option to eat the charge. Its hard but I do explain it to the customer and I have a sign up. I don't charge shop supplies but I do charge for Oil and filter disposal and tire disposal. You have to pick and choose and the credit card fees you can validate versus  charging shop supplies. I always felt the shop supplies were a necessary charge but I always heard a lot of grief from it.

Posted

Joe,

I can see that for invoices above $2k or $3k, if the customer knows ahead of time.

I see how that makes sense to the business owner (and their accountant). But I’ll bet to the customer for the lower invoices, you’re trying to eek out another $10 or $15. AND, they could think, where else are you eeking out an extra few bucks (or more)? Apparently you are not profitable enough to absorb that. Why? Not enough (good) customers? Why?

It’s a convenience for them. So they’re stuck paying that or write a check or go to the bank and get $1000 in cash??? Plus many get cash back or flight miles, which you’re also taking.

Remember searching airline prices, comparing prices, making your decision, only to find out at the very end there are additional charges? Taxes, fees, and those darn baggage charges. Did you like that? I doubt it. I think credit card fees fall into that category (for the customer).

  • Like 2
Posted
  On 10/24/2024 at 2:31 PM, Joe Marconi said:

You will accomplish the same thing, and not bring attention to the customer that small fee that may be a big deal. 

Expand  

Agreed, the customer, and people in general, remember how you made them feel. If you can make them feel good about a purchase or an experience at your shop they'll likely come back, spread a good word, and be willing to pay you even more than originally planned. It pays to be a good human being, especially in the auto industry.

  • Like 1
Posted

I have NEVER charged for credit cards except to very few people who I only charge my costs where there is no profit to absorb the credit cards fees. These people include family and just a couple of very close friends. They knew that I was making exactly 0¢ from them so they would have to pay the credit card fees if they needed to use a credit card.

Now on to regular customers. I have charged shop supplies for almost the entire time I have been in business )coming up on 20 years) and have never heard any complaints or push back. But then again EVERY service business, from auto shops to dealerships, plumbers and electricians charge a supply fee so I think they are accustomed to it. My understanding is that if a business is audited by the state, they can't use the "shop supplies" charge, they have to itemize everything that they used that would fall under "Supplies" and make sure they paid sales tax on the appropriate amount for all of those nuts and bolts and subscriptions and chemicals, etc. The way I see it, I pay sales tax on a lot of stuff that would go into the "supplies" category like printer paper, hand soap, toner, lubricants (penetrating oil, silicone spray, etc.), first aid supplies, scanner updates and so forth that any supplies that I don't pay sales tax on would be negligible AND I charge sales tax on the shop supplies (since the state considers the items that are categorized as "shop supplies" as "taxable sales" anyway) so I believe that if I were ever audited, the state would owe me a refund based on the itemized sales' tax due vs. what was collected or paid at the time of purchase. So I am not concerned with an audit causing me problems other than the auditor being upset that I am doing business this way.

 

I do not currently and do not intend to charge my customers for using credit cards. I do educate them that it costs me several percent and their "rewards" are actually coming out my pocket because I am charged 1.++% for the privilege of taking their rewards card on top of the usual processing fees, all so the credit card company can be so generous to "give" them back 1%, maybe. I am a small shop and my credit card fees rarely exceed $600 a month. I too see it as a C.O.D.B. I would like to charge a fee for it, but I don't like paying it when I go to a merchant who charges it so I won't do that to my customers. I just absorb it from my profits, but I can see why some places would want to charge for their customers "convenience." As far as I am aware, no dealership charges this fee and few if any other independent repair shops in town charge a credit card fee.

Posted

I replaced four runflat tires on a Mercedes GLA250 yesterday, the tires were 268.88 each and we charged 35.00 to mount and balance each tire and 6.00 a tire disposal, now tire are very competitively priced, total job price was 1239.52 plus 74.37 in tax 1313.89. The credit card fees on that transaction were almost 39.50, were do you absorb or hide that when you are trying to stay competitive with your competition? As long as your transparent with your customers they know about the credit card fees. I made 248.00 on that job, thats a lot different than 208.00, thats almost 17% of your profit.  I tell the customers, I will give you a fair price but I can't absorb the fees and people give me cash or checks or they pay the fee.  

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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